Yamaha FZ6 Performance in the WET...

[Rumpole of the Bailey]

No point in having a nice clean Fazer under its new cover if you can't ride it in the wet! And brothers and sisters of the East and South coast, we have had some rain lately.
My plan was for a mental health day, ride from Geelong to Daylesford for lunch at the Convent Gallery.
The Convent Gallery - Daylesford [ Images of The Convent ]
(Keep this up your sleeve top tucker and grog for those inclined)

The beautiful Sharon asked me to drive up there to meet her. What! I want to ride the Brisbane Ranges, no way.

Hmmm forcast didn't look good

Forecast for the rest of Friday
Partly cloudy. Isolated showers. Snow down to 700 mtrs. Winds westerly averaging 35 to 50 km/h, reaching 60 km/h at times.

Ahh Daylesford is only 600 mtrs above sea level, no worries, those Yanks and Canuks ride in snow all the time anyway, don't they?

Bike handles like a dream in wind and rain. The BT21's do ok in the sleet, rain and big winds. This bike is awesome.

Be interested to hear how other riders are handling the wet season down under.

Pic of trip home at Anakie Dam in the Brisbane ranges.
Stopped off fro a rest and to oil the chain.
Oh yeah, watch out for Emus, you just can't hit some birds on a bike aye.

Rumps

 

[Kazza]

And what about us in the West Coast? We seem to be forgotten over here :rant:

 

[Rumpole of the Bailey]

Western Australia, yeah I been there.
How about these for thread starters:

Riding to the Topless waitress' pubs in Esperence (in the rain)

Riding to ****lebiddy for a Beer

Riding to Hay Street Kalgoolie for a bit of fun in the sun

:spank:

 

[Kriswithak]

People LIVE! on the west coast????
When did that happen :O

I've found the FZ6 pretty sweet in the rain even with the stock tyres, I hope it improves even more with some better tyres when I wear these ones out.
I do ride more conservatively in the rain though!

 

[rpereira]

I rode into work today. Perfect morning around 5:30am cold but not freezing. Not a hint of rain. Cue about 2hrs later, my bike got a wash !! Which also got me thinking about the standard tyres (again) I think the problem with them is (Well for me) they give no feedback, they might be fine as a tyre but I have no confidence in them (still!)

Oh and they seem to handle fine in the wet .... Surprisingly

 

[sxty8goats]

I know I'm just a silly Yank but I'd figure I'd chime in.

I've ridden in the rain quite a bit through the years. Never had much of an issue on any bike I've ridden. The worst was the Shadow but that was more the hard rain / hail that I hit and the fact that I had no plastic what so ever up front to protect me

Everything I've read says that traction on wet pavement is about 80% of that on dry, after the frist 10 or 15 minutes of the rains start. The first 10 or 15 minutes can be much more treachorous because the oils on the road float up and take 10 or 15 minutes to wash off. Ride carefully, slow down a bit and you will be fine. The chaces that most of us ride within 20% of the bikes traction in dry weather are slim . Slowing down a bit from normal and being attentive to traffic and the roads makes rain driving safe.

The FZ has been good in the rain for me as well.

 

[Wolfman]

The Fizzer is a great bike in the wet, not enough power that can get you in too much trouble at a moments notice like a 1000cc bike in the wet, great brakes, neutral handling, not too much torque down low, to cause lock-up's on the over0rev, coming back down through the gears...as long as you keep the bike in the "pussycat" zone, below 8000rpm's...

I actually sometimes enjoy riding in the wet, on an FZ6....and if your tyres are up to the gig, you can punt the FZ6 along quite rapidly in the wet, without fear of falling off!

Just another reason why i love the FZ6....it just does what you need it too...all the time!

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Kriswithak]

As someone else mentioned the stock tyres aren't terrible, but they certainly do lack that feedback or feel that better tyres provide, which really saps confidence!

 

[Ridgeback]

We are pretty used to riding in the rain here!
it's been lashing down all of last night and it's supposedly the summer

The only issue with winter riding in the rain,is the tons of pure salt they throw on our roads,so each year it means soaking the bike in ACF50.
I can't say I've had any bad vibes from the bike itself,same as Wolfman,the bike is such a stable all rounder,it doesn't seem to Faze it

 

[Kazza]

doesn't seem to Faze it

:shakehead:

Funny, very funny.......

 

[Kriswithak]

Haha very true.
I ride whatever the weather as I only have a car for taking the grandma out shopping, rain is an inconvenience but I have proper gear and my biggest worry is idiots on the roads in the wet, not my own bike or my gear.

I don't normally mention this for fear of being put into a white jacket and locked away, but I am actually pretty sure my FZ6 actually really likes the rain, she just runs a little differently when its raining (smoother and happier), and the rides are always enjoyable unless its a case of totally unmoving traffic (which we both hate).

 

[Twitch]

Just got back from Ocean City Maryland. I rode my bike there (6 hour trip) and it rained the entire way home yesterday haha but I'd rather be riding in the rain than not riding at all